A Journey Across Kalos
by Number54
Summary: In order to prove that she's the very best, Nico must travel across the Kalos region and obtain all eight gym badges, not to mention defeat the Elite Four and the Champion. Along with Hanayo and Rin, she will encounter many obstacles and distractions (a certain red-headed, purple-eyed distraction in the form of Elite Four Maki). Will Nico be able to do it? Or will she give up?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, guys!**

 **It's been a long time since I've included an author's note in a story on here! I'm gonna go ahead and cut to the chase. This is somewhat of a sequel to my LoveLive!/Pokemon one-shot "Who Was She?". A lot of people wanted me to continue it, so I will. If you haven't read it, yet, then I suggest you go do that right now. It's sort of the prologue to this story. Yes, it's set in the Kalos region with Nico as the main character. Of course, Rin and Hanayo are here, too. I won't reveal all of the pairings that I will include, but I can assure you that there will be NicoMaki.**

 **Are you guys ready?**

 **Let's do it!**

 **\- 54**

* * *

The rays of the morning sun shone down upon the many trees that made up Santalune Forest, brightening up the usually dull green color of the leaves and vegetation while lighting the way for Nico, Rin, and Hanayo as they prepared for their quest to obtain all eight badges across the Kalos region.

Actually, it was more of Nico's quest than it was Rin's or Hanayo's, but being the good friends they both were, they had decided to accompany the raven-haired girl on her journey because they wanted to see their friend succeed.

However, the three girls couldn't complete their quest with just one Pokemon each, so they decided to wake up extra early that morning and go search for more in Santalune Forest. Plus, it would provide Nico with an opportunity to battle trainers and other wild Pokemon with her Poliwag.

And the raven-haired girl had done just that. She had come across a youngster with a Scatterbug and a Fletchling, a lass with a Pikachu, and another lass with a Weedle and a Bunnelby and defeated them all. Needless to say, Nico's head had swelled to the size of a watermelon following those three victories.

"I wouldn't get on my high horse just yet, Nico-chan," Hanayo gently chided as they walked through the lush forest. "Viola is much more stronger than they are. Those three battles were nothing compared to what you're going to be facing in the future."

Rin nodded in agreement. "Kayo-chin's right, nya. It's only going to get tougher from here on out."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Nico says, waving both of them off. "Poliwag and I are gonna be ready for them when the time comes, so I'm not too worried."

Hanayo sighed. She was absolutely sure that if Miss Nishikino were here at this very moment, she would be crawling Nico's ass for saying such a thing. "As much as I adore Poliwag, he _is_ only one Pokemon. He can't help you win eight badges and defeat the Elite Four _and_ the Champion alone. You need more Pokemon, Nico-chan. That's what we came here for after all."

"But there's not really anything here, Hanayo. The only Pokemon that mainly roam this part of the forest are Scatterbug, Weedle, and Caterpie. Nothing that really interests me, you know?"

The conversation between the brunette and the raven-haired girl was suddenly interrupted as Rin abruptly stopped in her tracks and stuck her arm in front of the two girls to prevent them from walking any further.

"Ow! What are you doi-"

"Shhh!" The orange-haired girl shushed her senior as she kept her eyes on the small patch of tall, rustling grass just ahead of them.

"Rin-chan?" Hanayo worriedly asked her childhood friend. "What's wrong?"

Rin kept silent, her chartruese-eyed gaze never wavering from the grassy spot. She watched it rustle a few more times before a yellow, lightning bolt-shaped tail made its presence known by popping up out of the tall grass.

Hanayo and Nico felt the orange-haired girl's arm, which was still holding the two of them back, begin to shake slightly.

"Rin-chan, you're scaring me..." Hanayo whimpered, clasping her hands at her chest.

Nico placed a gloved hand on the still-shaking Rin's shoulder. "Yeah, Rin, cut it out!"

Did they not see what was there? Was she the only one that had noticed? That tail looked awfully familiar...

And then the Pokemon's tail immediately went back down into the grass and was replaced with its head. Its ears twitched adorably and its eyes blinked cutely as it looked around at the trees. "Pika!"

"I-It's so..." Rin's quaking had only gotten worse at the recognition of the mouse Pokemon. "...CUUUUUTTTEEE!" She quickly turned back to Hanayo, grabbed her by the hand, and jerked her forward into a bone-crushing hug. "Look how cute, Kayo-chin!"

Both Hanayo and Nico turned to where Rin was pointing and gasped. It was a _Pikachu_ , which was rare to find in here. The three girls looked on as the electric Pokemon slowly made its way out of the tall grass and into the clearing, sniffing the ground a bit before calling out again. "Pikachu!"

Rin squealed in excitement. "Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen, nyaaaa?!"

While the two childhood friends were gushing over the cuteness of the small Pokemon, Nico instinctively reached for her belt and plucked a Pokeball from it. Poliwag was a lot more stronger than he was before, so maybe, just maybe, he could hold his own against that Pikachu. Plus, it would be a great addition to her team and a new friend for Poliwag.

But as the raven-haired girl's crimson gaze moved from her Pokeball to the cat-like grin etched on the face of her overly-excited friend, Nico felt a slight tug in her heart. She had seen the way Rin had looked at the Pikachu that belonged to the lass she had battled earlier, which was the exact same look Rin had now. _Pure adoration_.

"What are you waiting for, Nico-chan?" The orange-haired girl smiled at her. "Catch it!"

Nico watched the expecting and cheerful faces of Rin and Hanayo before looking down at her reflection in the red part of the ball. And in that moment, Nico knew that this wasn't just about her. Her friends had _chosen_ to go with her on this journey. No, they didn't have to, but they _wanted_ to. Nico's never had anyone do that for her. And because of that, she wanted them to enjoy the ride as well. So, she did what she felt was right:

She placed the Pokeball back on her belt. "No."

Both girls' turned to look at each other in confusion before Rin released her hold on Hanayo and braved a step towards the twin-tailed trainer. "What? But why?"

Nico quickly turned away and crossed her arms. She _hated_ the way Rin sounded right now, even more so the way she looked at the moment. Disappointment wasn't something Nico liked to see in any of her friends - like looking at a wounded puppy. However, she was sure what she was about to say next would change that. She had to swallow a little bit of her pride, though, because that's just the kind of person Nico was.

"You saw it first, right? It's only fair."

"Nico-chan," Rin stepped closer. "Are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say?"

The raven-haired girl flipped one of her twintails arrogantly. "Poliwag and I can handle Viola alone. He's gotten a lot stronger since yesterday." Then she turned her head to the side a bit - not to look at Rin directly, but enough to look at her out of her peripheral vision. "Besides...I think you'll do a better job of taking care of it than I ever could."

There was a small silence between the three of them until Rin ran to Nico and tackled her into a bone-crushing hug from behind. "Oh, Nico-chan, thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Nico only grunted. "You'd better go before it gets away, idiot!"

"Oh, right!" Rin exclaimed, quickly releasing Nico and drawing a Pokeball out of her backpack. As much as it hurt her to know she would have to weaken the Pikachu before she could attempt to catch it, she thought it would be for the best to go through with it instead of taking a risk and throwing a Pokeball at it while it had full health. "Go, Bagon!"

"You saw the way she looked at it, didn't you?" While Rin began her battle with the wild Pikachu in the background, Hanayo stood beside the raven-haired trainer.

Nico had turned back around to witness the battle that was going on in front of her, not even daring to look Hanayo in the eyes. It didn't matter if their gazes met or not, though, because Nico knew that Hanayo could see right through her, regardless. So, there wasn't even any point in answering the brunette's question.

"Rin's really great with Pokemon, you know. Bagon absolutely adores her, and she adores him. I'm absolutely certain she'll love Pikachu just as much, if not already." She continued.

That took Nico back to her confrontation with Miss Nishikino. Her passion for her Pokemon and for battling had awakened something inside Nico. Something that made her _see_ the passion inside everyone else. Like Hanayo said, Rin _was_ great with Pokemon. Well, not as great as Miss Nishikino seemed to be, but with Nico's bias aside, Rin loved and respected her Pokemon, which was more than enough to become a great trainer.

"Pokeball!" Nico's thoughts were interrupted by Rin's voice. She watched as the weakened Pikachu was pulled into the Pokeball the orange-haired girl had thrown and instinctively balled her hands into fists at her sides - sort of a habit she had picked up ever since she had caught Poliwag.

The three girls and the Bagon could only look on in silence as the Pokeball shook, and the tension in the air became so thick it could've been cut with a knife.

Then finally...

 _Click!_

Rin stood stock-still, her jaw gaping open in shock at the now-unmoving Pokeball lying on the ground. The fact that she'd just caught her _second_ Pokemon hadn't even registered in her brain yet.

"You did it, Rin-chan!" Hanayo cheered from the side, snapping Rin out of her daze and breaking the small silence. "That was amazing!"

"Bagon!" Rin's Pokemon seemed to agree.

The cat-like girl broke into a run and scooped said Bagon up off the ground and into her arms. "We caught a Pikachu, Bagon!" She twirled around with the Pokemon, both of them in the midst of celebrating their first (and certainly not last) achievement in the world of Pokemon.

As she watched her friend finish her celebration with her Pokemon and quickly walk over to pick the Pokeball up from the grassy floor, Bagon still in her arms, Nico found herself smiling. It was a small one, but it was a smile nonetheless.

And again, she couldn't help but think about the fiery words of Miss Nishikino.

* * *

After finding their way back out of Santalune Forest, Nico, Rin, and Hanayo stopped to take a break at a small pond just outside the mouth of the forest's entrance. Nico and Hanayo sat in the grass just under a shade tree and watched as Poliwag played in the water, while Rin was just on the other side of the path playing with her Bagon and her newly acquired Pikachu.

The raven-haired trainer sat with her back against the trunk of the tree - her arms crossed with a solemn look on her face. To some passersby, it looked as though she was solely focused on her Poliwag splashing cutely around in the water, but in actuality it was quite the opposite.

She was thinking about Santalune City Gym and its leader Viola. Nico was certain that Poliwag was strong enough to take her on alone, but like Hanayo said earlier, Poliwag is only _one_ Pokemon. It probably wouldn't be smart on Nico's part to take only one Pokemon and challenge a gym leader.

"It's warmed up to her quickly, hasn't it?" Nico was snapped out of her thoughts by the gentle voice of the brunette, who was currently petting the Espurr curled up in her lap while watching Rin and her two Pokemon.

Both Nico and Hanayo had helped the orange-haired trainer doctor up the electric Pokemon barely ten minutes ago by spraying a potion or two onto the wounds that the Bagon had inflicted, and afterwards, all three girls were grateful that they didn't get shocked by the Pikachu.

"That's what it looks like," Nico says. "I don't know why she just couldn't wait until we got back to Santalune City and take it to the Pokemon Center."

Hanayo giggled. "You know how impatient Rin can be when she's excited."

"Unfortunately." The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes and leaned further back into the tree, crossing one foot over the other. She didn't mean to sound like a sourpuss, but she'd had a lot of thoughts on her mind at the moment. A lot of conflicting ones. And of course, Hanayo seemed to notice.

"I thought you weren't worried about Viola, Nico-chan?"

Nico sighed. "I'm not, Hanayo. It's just that I need to win that Bug Badge, along with the other seven badges. I've never battled a gym leader before, so I have no idea what to expect. I have faith in Poliwag, but I know he won't be enough to battle Viola. Like you said earlier, Poliwag can't go this whole journey alone, but I at least want him to be capable of doing so if something were to happen. Does that make sense to you?"

There was a small pause before Hanayo spoke. "Actually, it does. You're nervous because you'll be facing a strong and experienced trainer, and although you believe Poliwag can hold his own against her, you don't think he'll be enough to be successful. But at the same time, you want him to be strong enough to where you can call upon him in battle and expect him to give it his all. Is that it, Nico-chan?"

"Exactly," Nico relents. "It feels like I'm doubting him, but I want us both to succeed more than anything. I want him to grow strong, and I want to grow with him, you know?"

"This is just the beginning of our journey, Nico-chan. You're overthinking this, and overthinking is a very deadly thing to do. In my honest opinion, I think we all need a mind like Rin-chan. She just goes with the flow. In her mind, whatever happens, happens." Both girls turned to the girl in question, watching as she withdrew Bagon and Pikachu back into their respective Pokeballs before stuffing them into her backpack.

Nico hummed in thought. Maybe the brunette was right. Maybe she _is_ taking this too seriously. Worrying about things won't change the outcome, regardless. If she and Poliwag failed, then they'd just have to go back to square one and try again. Besides, that was all a part of learning, wasn't it? Making mistakes? They'd be fine. She'd find more Pokemon soon.

"Are you guys ready to go, nya?" Rin had made her way across the path and was standing above the two girls, hand on hip.

Poliwag and Espurr were immediately returned into their Pokeballs before the three girls hoisted their bags onto their backs and resumed their walk down the dirt path.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, show of hands. How many of you called it that Rin would have a Pikachu?**

 **You guys like it so far? Tell me what you think! Whether it be a private message or a review. Favorites and follows are appreciated! Thanks!**

 **\- 54**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** **IT'S NOT DEAD! I PROMISE!**

 **I've just been busy with my Love Live!/Harry Potter AU mostly, and I still have a few requests in my Tumblr inbox that I have yet to finish. Plus, there's my job, this little app called Pokémon Go, and blah blah blah.**

 **Sorry to keep y'all waiting too long. Here is the next chapter!**

 **\- 54**

* * *

As the trio of girls made their way through Santalune City, the confidence Nico had had earlier was slowly beginning to fade away. The talk she'd had with Hanayo earlier had only settled her nerves just a tiny bit, but now that she was in the exact same city as the very first Kalos gym, the terror was _real_ for her. Now more than ever.

"There are so many flowers, nya!" Rin spoke up with her hands clasped behind her head. "Seems like a nice place to live! Though it isn't as homey as Aquacorde Town is, huh, Kayo-chin?"

Hanayo shook her head. "Santalune City is pretty, but Aquacorde Town will always be home to me."

"Always?" The orange-haired girl grinned.

"Of course, Rin-chan. We grew up together there, after all."

"True."

Nico had tuned out the nostalgic banter of her two juniors, silently strategizing the battle against Viola and her bug-type Pokemon in her mind, despite her nervousness. She was absolutely certain Poliwag would be able to hold his own, but with this being a gym leader battle, she couldn't take a chance with just one Pokemon alone. She'd been shit out of luck trying to catch more in Santalune Forest earlier because none of them interested her. The only interesting Pokemon that had appeared was that Pikachu, which she ultimately let Rin have. Because that's just the kind of person Nico was.

"What about you, Nico-chan?" Rin asks, snapping the raven-haired trainer out of her thought bubble.

"What about me?" Nico replied.

"What was it like growing up in Vaniville Town?"

Nico turned her crimson-eyed gaze from her friend and set it on the Roselia fountain just ahead of them as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Growing up in Vaniville Town hadn't been a very thrilling part of her life, but it hadn't exactly been boring, either. There had only been three houses, two of which housed an old couple and a middle-aged couple and their two daughters, all in that exact order. Nico and her family occupied the third and final house.

Her mother had been an employee at the Pokeball Factory in Laverre City, while her father worked under a man named Giovanni in the Kanto region. Needless to say, her parents weren't home a lot, so that left Nico with the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings while they were away. Her mother often came home late, flying in on a Pidgeot, her only source of transportation to and from her job. Her father, however, stayed in the Kanto region most of the time because his job required it. Sometimes Nico and her siblings would fly all the way out there to visit him whenever he wasn't working and maybe get to go fishing with him if they were lucky.

Nico fought with herself in her mind trying to find a way to word this to her friends without revealing too much information. There were still some things Hanayo and Rin didn't know, and she'd like to keep it that way for now. "There's not really much to say. We were poor. My mom and dad worked their asses off to pay the bills and put food on the table. I held down the fort at home by taking care of my siblings and keeping the house clean. Not exactly a perfect life, but we got by."

Hanayo and Rin immediately went quiet. Nico had told them bits and pieces about her poor background before, so she didn't tell them what they didn't already know. They just hadn't meant for her to bring it up like that at all. It was still a sensitive topic for the twintailed trainer, and both girls knew she was holding back some of the more extensive details of her childhood. But Nico had every right to keep some things hidden. They respected her discretion.

A silence permeated the air as the three girls continued their trek through the town, stopping only once to admire the Roselia-shaped fountain in the center before resuming their walk.

"Here it is, nya!" Rin announced. "Santalune Gym!"

Once the trio had stopped in their tracks just in front of their reached destination, Nico felt that familiar lump in her throat. The green-roofed building seemed to _tower_ over her like she was some sort of small child, and the ominous shadow that it casted seemed like it was going to swallow her whole any minute now.

"It's very well-kempt!" Hanayo added, eyeing the carefully trimmed hedges and the newly polished glass windows. "Taking care of a gym must be hard work!"

Rin clasped her hands behind her head again. "Yeah, no kidding! The gym leaders probably have people that do that for them, though, Kayo-chin. Sounds like they have enough on their plate as it is - defending the gym and all."

A cold sweat trickled down the back of the raven-haired trainer's neck as she felt the rate of her heart quicken against her ribcage. Nico couldn't discern whether it was adrenaline, fear, or maybe a mixture of both, but it was now or never. She wasn't going to accomplish anything by standing there. Hell, she couldn't afford to because of the many things she wanted to prove - to her doubters and to _herself._ She audibly gulped, alarming the two juniors.

"Are you okay, Nico-chan?" Hanayo was the first to prod.

"Yeah, fine," Nico quickly recovered, flipping one of her twintails nonchalantly. "I'm just ready to get this over with so I can get that Bug Badge."

"Antsy, aren't you?"

The surprised trio of girls immediately turned towards the source of the voice - a green-eyed woman with brown hair that was collected with a tuft of hair protruding from the hairline just above her forehead. She was wearing tight grey pants, brown boots, and a red and black shirt with white cuffs. Hanayo felt as though she'd seen this woman from somewhere before, but she couldn't exactly put her finger on it at the moment.

"Um, pun intended?" Rin scratched the back of her head.

"Nope," The woman chuckled as she came to a stop in front of them. "Looking to battle Viola, are you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," Nico crossed her arms. "What's it to you?"

"Nico!" Hanayo chided, gently swatting her hand against the raven-haired girl's shoulder.

The woman grinned. "Well if that's the case, you should know that she's not here at the moment."

Nico almost fainted at the revelation. "WHAT? WHY NOT?"

"She stepped out for a bit."

"Well, do you know when she'll be back?"

"I have no idea."

The raven-haired trainer groaned out of frustration. It had taken a lot for her to quell her fears and stomp out any flames of doubt she'd had on the way here, and now some stranger was telling her it was all for naught? Damn it.

The woman crossed her arms and silently studied the trio before prodding them with a small question. "Have you girls had lunch?"

* * *

"So you _are_ Alexa the journalist! I knew I'd seen you from somewhere before!" Hanayo exclaimed before digging into a gigantic bowl of rice.

The woman known as Alexa giggled. "Yes, that's me."

"Oh, I'm a huge fan of your work! May I have your autograph?"

"I've never been asked such a thing before, but I don't see why not."

Hanayo immediately dropped her chopsticks into the porcelain bowl and felt around the pockets of her pants for some kind of pen or pencil, and when that search failed, she hoisted her backpack onto her lap and began digging around in the pockets on it, unzipping and zipping them back frantically.

"Rin-chan! Do you have a pen I could borrow?" The orange-haired girl across from her had been finishing off her third cup of ramen, not even bothering to actually taste any of it. Of course, it wasn't exactly a surprise. Rin had had the appetite of ten grown men ever since they were kids back in Aquacorde Town.

She supressed a burp. "I think I might have one in my bag. Hang on a sec."

While the two childhood friends searched for a pen for Hanayo, Alexa's eyes wandered over to the twintailed trainer sitting across from her. The girl in question hadn't said a word since they'd came into the restaurant - probably twenty minutes or so ago. All she'd done was sit there in the seat, silently stirring the bowl of soup she'd ordered. Probably hadn't even attempted to stomach any of it, either.

"I'm sorry it isn't much, Miss Alexa, but this is all I have at the moment." The brunette slowly pushed Rin's pen and an unused napkin over to the journalist.

Alexa smiled, picking up the pen and writing her elegant signature upon the napkin. "Oh, it's fine. Like I said, it's rare that I get asked for autographs."

As Hanayo collected the newly autographed napkin, it took every ounce of strength within her not to fangirl in front of the journalist. Rin had went back to inhaling her third cup of ramen, and Nico was still as quiet as a church mouse.

"Not hungry?" Alexa's words caused Nico to look up from her soup out of surprise.

"O-of course I am! I was just thinking!" The raven-haired girl defended, taking a hopefully convincing sip of the lukwarm liquid. She wasn't exactly lying - she was starving. Her thoughts were just trying to catch up with her.

Alexa hummed. "So, you're aiming for a shot at the Pokemon League, huh?"

"I am." Nico nodded as she continued to slowly eat her soup spoonful by spoonful.

"Have you registered yet?"

Nico immediately halted her eating, looking up at Alexa with slightly puffed out cheeks as a result of the food she had yet to swallow. She shook her head, and gulped it down before speaking. "No, I haven't."

The journalist nodded. "We'll do that after we're done here, then."

Nico continued to eat the rest of her soup in silence, while Hanayo and Rin had just finished. Rin rubbed her stomach with a satisfied cat-like grin plastered on her face, content with her ramen intake for the day. Hanayo had pushed her bowl away from her and began conversing with Alexa about her adventures.

While she was happily chatting with the brunette, Alexa couldn't help but watch Nico out of the corner of her eye. Call it her journalist's intuition but something in her gut told her that it would be in her best interest to keep a close eye on this girl, and though strange as it may have been at that moment, Alexa _never_ questioned this feeling, regardless of how delusional it all sounded.

Suddenly, the doors of the restaurant bursted open and a young boy that looked to be around the age of thirteen skidded abruptly to a halt, face flushed and breathing heavily as he frantically scanned the faces at every table and every booth.

"David?" Alexa called out, immediately recognizing the youngster as one of the few who trained regularly at her younger sister's gym. "What's wrong?"

Nico, Rin, and Hanayo watched as a wave of relief briefly flashed across his face before he broke out into a small run to their table, stopping before the journalist.

"Miss Alexa," David managed to sputter out as he tried to catch his breath. "It's - it's Viola. She's in trouble."

* * *

 **A/N: Uh oh. Spaghetti O's.**

 **\- 54**


End file.
